Roberto Burle Marx: Painting, Architecture and Landscaping in the Creation of a New Language for Gardens

Roberto Burle Marx: Painting, Architecture and Landscaping in the Creation of a New Language for Gardens 66 docomomo · 42 — Summer 2010 doco42—53/99.indd 66 29/07/10 17:55 ainting, architecture and landscaping have never been so well incorporated in one person as P in Roberto Burle Marx. His painter skills enabled Roberto Burle Marx to apply deep thorough pictorial principles to the landscape, thus avoiding other approaches made by pioneers who literally transposed cubist or abstract art, which almost resulted in caricatures. His botanical knowledge allowed him to discover new species in regard to their individual beauty and to their proper integration in ecological environments, which provided adequate choices of harmonious systems in terms of their aesthetics and their good survival in the new garden habitat. By Lauro Cavalcanti AINTING, architecture and landscaping have exaggerated nationalist stance. In order to escape this never been so well incorporated in one person chauvinistic trap, he took use of his intellectual sophistica- Pas in Roberto Burle Marx. Intended as a total art- tion, of his admiration for universality driven by abstrac- work, modern architecture aimed to integrate structural tionism and last but not the least, he invested in the growth support and visual appearance, organize both internal of the scope of his work by leading botanical research and external spaces and act upon urban planning and expeditions around tropical and subtropical areas of the urban design. Within this process, the garden began to planet. draw nearer or even merge with the building and art lost One of the weaknesses of modern architecture was its façade decorative function, as it either had sculptural its inability to cope with the inevitable effects of the flow physical presence or acted as a source of inspiration for of time in its accomplishments. Pure and ideal works al- the organization of gardens. most always age very badly. Whereas patina and small His painter skills enabled Roberto Burle Marx to ap- flaws provide strength and density to historicist styles, in ply deep thorough pictorial principles to the landscape, modern buildings they stain smooth surfaces and there- thus avoiding other approaches made by pioneers who fore reveal modernism’s pretensions of obtaining timeless literally transposed cubist or abstract art, which almost and definitive accomplishments. Burle Marx’s botanical resulted in caricatures. His botanical knowledge allowed knowledge aided his landscaping, specifically in the 67 him to discover new species in regard to their individual choosing of the proper plants, in guaranteeing a good beauty and to their proper integration in ecological envi- climate adaptation and in precisely anticipating their ronments, which provided adequate choices of harmoni- volumes, colors and textures throughout their lifetime. ous systems in terms of their aesthetics and their good As far as more fragile and perishable specimens were survival in the new garden habitat. concerned, being familiar with them helped him predict The mastering of architectural space was an essential the moment to replant. Thus, time was not his enemy, but feature of his work, since it enabled him to establish a rather a constant ally. The landscaper used to say that dialogue between buildings’ forms, spaces and volumes, his function was simply to initiate work in the garden, as which could make the garden echo, harmonize, contrast, “time finishes the idea.”2 or even, when inferior in quality, surpass and outshine Artists of peripheral nations tend to, in most cases, architecture itself.1 simply translate and deploy visual thinking already de- At the turn of the twentieth century, the importation of veloped in the Northern Hemisphere, or engage in a intellectual models and styles took place in every artis- compulsory regionalism, as exoticism is the only way they tic field across the countries of South America. As far as may obtain international awareness and interest. Burle landscaping is concerned, this practice became very seri- Marx was able to avoid both of these traps. Along with ous as the imported elements faded or did not adapt to his enormous personal qualities, how could we explain Brazil’s climate. As a consequence, a two–fold strategy this rare phenomenon? was needed: to break up with the rigid models of mainly Nothing in Brazil’s origins or its elite aversion towards French Fine Arts School and reduce or abolish exoge- native specimens, suggested that the country would give nous species. birth to the man who deployed twentieth century land- Like many other twentieth century landscapers of dif- scaping worldwide. It was of great value to Burle Marx ferent nationalities, the creator of Aterro do Flamengo re- to have had a family education, where he learnt French, habilitated native plants and put them to noble use. Burle German and Pernambucan cultures with common–sense Marx knew how to accomplish this without adopting an and sophistication. Besides this, he had a favorable so- Roberto Burle Marx: Painting, Architecture and Landscaping in the Creation docomomo · 42 — Summer 2010 of a New Language for Gardens doco42—53/99.indd 67 29/07/10 17:55 1 68 2 docomomo · 42 — Summer 2010 Roberto Burle Marx: Painting, Architecture and Landscaping in the Creation of a New Language for Gardens doco42—53/99.indd 68 29/07/10 17:55 cial and economical situation and a good network of so- our hot and humid climate. Out of sight from passers–by cial contacts. Above all, he belonged to a generation that and most ceremonial guests, the backyards had mostly strived, in various fields, to build a contemporary culture fruit trees and native shrubs. In one of these backyards, at that would not deny world’s cultural singularities. the foot of Pedra do Leme, young Roberto cultivated his The ‘new’ architecture was part of Brazil’s broad cul- first flowerbeds by planting bromeliads and other creep- tural vanguard movement of the first half of the twentieth ing plants which he collected during his strolls on the trails century, which distanced itself from folklore and offered that shored the sea and bordered the hill. His discovery cosmopolitan versions of ‘Brazilness’. Based on his An- of native vegetation was concomitant with the discovery thropophagic Manifesto, metaphorically speaking, Os- of the ocean, as described by the landscaper: “It was in wald de Andrade wanted the European culture to be Rio that I felt the see for the first time . the smell of sand. devoured by our native organism, taking advantage of its An enchantment for me, the sea.”4 virtues and discarding its obsolete or inadequate charac- Due to his numerous journeys, Burle Marx’s life was teristics: “Brazilians and of our time.”3 rich in revelations and stories: his move from São Paulo to The vegetable kingdom was not free from discrimina- Rio as a boy allowed him to have his first tropical nature tion. At bourgeois houses, there was a clear distinction experience. In addition, his trip to Germany consolidat- between gardens and backyards. In the former case, usu- ed his fondness for Brazilian specimens as he gazed at ally located between the building and the street, ‘noble’ them at the greenhouse of the Botanical Garden of Berlin, specimens such as roses, cypresses, pines, begonias and where he painted outdoors. azaleas were predominately planted between geometri- Upon returning to Brazil in 1932, Roberto moved to cal carved hedges, in the form of French topiary. It was Recife and in his family’s propriety he began trying to unthinkable to use local plants, even if those from temper- plant native specimens. In 1937, he took up permanent ate climates were wilted due to their poor adaptation to residence in Rio de Janeiro, where he executed a series of abstract gardens, which were to become modern movement ‘classics’. In 1938, the design of the plaza in front of Santos Du- Figure 1. Roberto Burle Marx, Park of Flamengo, Rio de Janeiro, 1961. General perspective view. 50 x 70 cm. mont airport (1937–1944), built by the Roberto Brothers, gave Burle Marx the opportunity to develop the first mod- Figure. 2. Roberto Burle Marx, Park of Flamengo, Rio de Janeiro, ern public artwork. Rocks, water and trees from different 69 1961. General plan. Collection Burle Marx & Cia Ldta. Photo by Cesar Barreto. places across Brazil were used. The plaza has not one Roberto Burle Marx: Painting, Architecture and Landscaping in the Creation docomomo · 42 — Summer 2010 of a New Language for Gardens doco42—53/99.indd 69 29/07/10 17:55 straight line: it was designed based on two sinuous paral- stupendous work of Oscar Niemeyer. During the con- lel paths, which defined three major plant ‘islands’. struction of the Ministry of Education and Health building, In the central part, a large lake with Amazon aquatic Burle Marx had a sort of an informal post–graduation vegetation contains a small island and three small equal- in painting, as Portinari’s frescoes assistant, and in land- ly rounded hills. From the long and undulating benches, scaping, with the guidance of Lúcio Costa.6 which run along the bed line, one could spot the pilotis A close examination of his three proposals for the Min- of the terminal and behind it, the great monumental glass istry’s garden reveal the slow and debated process that window, the airstrip and Guanabara Bay. Critic Henry– took place until reaching the brilliant final result: the first Russell Hitchcock referred to the site as the “most beauti- project, requested presumably by Le Corbusier, was de- ful airport in the world.”5 vised to have aligned palm trees on the ground floor and Burle Marx’s reputation largely surpassed the strict well tidy squared long beds on the garden–terrace; in the realm of his professional field from the moment he de- second sketch, already supervised by Lúcio Costa, the signed the gardens for the Ministry of Education and first rounded shapes appear, although not so charming as Health (1937–1943).

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